The question surfaces from time to time, “Why Art?”; for which there is no simple answer. So I ask in return, “Why anything?” (which seems just as relevant)

It would be easy to say that creating Art is my passion. But, what does that mean exactly?

Most would quickly equate Passion to an inherent interest, an intense enthusiasm, or some form of Love. Although such delicacies are close to the truth, they are (perhaps) only half the truth, because our Passions are not just pursuits. They are something else as well, stemming from the word’s Latin origins, which literally means suffering or submission. Our Passions are something we must endure, as a right of passage, in pursuit of our desires. And, in that sense, every aspiration or career “Choice” could fit that description.

Art has always been so much more than just my Passion. There are moments that painting is purely an act of Love, one that exists without expectations or preconceived ideas, a stream of consciousness that allows me to simply create without reason or justification. There are times that art is cathartic, the effects of an emotional event that needs purging, through which my creative impulse becomes the outlet, a therapeutic release that can heal a wound or give closure to an open end. But it can be a diversion as well, from the realities of our material world, which encumbers us with enormous pressure. It is the accessible getaway that is always within reach, a reminder that there is also a secret life that simultaneously exists within the daily grind, internally (though, not always harmoniously).

In all such manners, Art becomes a perpetuated process of discovery that expands my creative vocabulary, so that during periods of “balance”, when “the moment” is able to carry me through a 15 hour painting session, my work is pure, unfiltered expression. My artistic predilection has been many things at different points along my timeline. But, most of all, it is something I simply can’t deny without feeling as if part of me is missing.

So… “Why Art”?

Because it is the voice I was given. It is the language I speak when words fail to articulate what I want or need to say. And, like any language, not everyone will comprehend it, because understanding requires a certain level of Passion as well.

Art is a profession as are physicians, attorneys, or philanthropist. It is in us to seek that which gives us joy and life. Your talent demonstrates you made no mistake in your career choice. The love and skill you have for art and how you express it is admirable. No one ever asks anyone else,” Why medicine, law, whatever.”
Continue forward and paint to your heart’s content.Enjoy your work.